The present invention relates to a spatial configuration of films with electrochemical properties, wherein the films can be used for producing layer compounds for use as batteries, electrochromic compounds or the like.
Since the beginning of the '70s, it has been attempted to produce electrochemical components such as batteries or the like in the form of thin films. The object is to obtain components that, on the one hand, are so flexible that they can be, for example, rolled up or matched to another desired shape and, on the other hand, can provide particularly beneficial charging and discharging properties by means of extremely large contact surfaces between the individual electrochemical parts, such as electrodes or electrolytes, relative to the employed volume of electrochemically active material.
The film technology fulfills the aforementioned requirements in an excellent way. Therefore, electrode materials or electrolyte materials in film form, for example, for batteries, are produced as fabricated material that are subsequently combined to a film compound with the desired electrochemical properties by lamination under suitable pressure action or temperature action. Examples for the manufacture of such films are known in many embodiments in the patent literature or in the relevant technical literature and are known to a person skilled in the art.
The manufacture of electrochemical components by means of (endless) films provides great economical advantages because film processing at high speed can be performed. In this connection, an advancing speed of several meters per minute is possible. However, for such a manufacture several boundary conditions must be observed that require a high technical expenditure. This is based in particular on the fact that, for obtaining a high throughput, the different films must be processed as long as possible from roll to roll or in the form of large sheets in order to reduce the number of manipulation steps. If it is desired to separate the complete stacked/laminated film compounds after their processing, it is necessary to perform stamping actions through the complete film compound. However, this results in significant problems because the separation by cutting tools generates edges of cut through the complete film compound. In this connection, the cutting tool can cause smearing of materials from different films across the edges of cut; this has negative effects with regard to the functionality of the electrochemical components. Separation of the different films already before lamination however requires a precise arrangement of the film elements relative to one another before they are laminated or connected in other ways. However, this can be realized only with great difficulty in particular for a high manufacturing throughput.